Trying to understand Microsoft’s lifecycle support policies can be confusing. We’ll try to remove some of the mystery in this blog.

What is meant by “lifecycle support?”

All software, including Dynamics GP, is developed for a specific set of circumstances that exist at the time of its release. These circumstances include the business problems that the software is intended to address, the other software with which it interacts, and the hardware systems that it will run on.

Looking specifically at Dynamics GP, a particular version of GP is intended to be applicable for:

The business and regulatory landscape at the time of its release. As business practices and laws change, a particular version of Dynamics GP will become less consistent with current accounting practices or out of compliance with laws and regulations.

Windows operating systems which are available at the time of release, including both Windows servers and Windows desktops.

Hardware configurations – hardware support is generally a function of the operating system.

General Lifecycle Policies for Microsoft

For most current business products, Microsoft provides a 10 year lifecycle support policy, broken up into two 5-year phases: mainstream support, and extended support. During the “mainstream” phase, you will have access to security updates, paid support, and there may be further access to product updates and free support. During the extended phase, the only product updates will be for security patches, and only paid support will be available. More information on Microsofts lifecycle support policy can be found here.

Now onto the specifics for Microsoft Dynamics GP:

Great Plains 7.5 Support Lifecycle

The lifecycle for Great Plains 7.5 ended on 1/9/2007. This product is currently not supported. There will be no security patches or other updates. If you are using on Great Plains 7.5 then should strongly consider upgrading to the latest version.

Great Plains 8 Support Lifecycle

The lifecycle for Great Plains 8 ended on 1/13/2007. This product is currently not supported. There will be no security patches or other updates. If you are using on Great Plains 8 then should strongly consider upgrading to the latest version.

Dynamics GP 9 Support Lifecycle

The lifecycle for Dynamics GP 2009 ended on 1/11/2011. This product is currently not supported. There will be no security patches or other updates. If you are using on Dynamics GP 9 then should strongly consider upgrading to the latest version.

Dynamics GP 10 Support Lifecycle

Mainstream support for GP 10 ended on 10/9/2012, however extended support is still available through 10/10/2017. This means that Microsoft will still be releasing security patches for the product, and that paid support is available. No new feature enhancements will be released for the product, however. If your main concern is maintaining access to security fixes, then you should plan to upgrade before the extended support period ends in October of 2017, or sooner if you would like to regain access to feature improvements.

Dynamics GP 10 R2 Support Lifecycle

Mainstream support for GP 10 R2 is available through 10/13/2015, and extended support continues for another 5 years past that to 2020. You continue to enjoy access to any feature upgrades that are released for the product, and you may have access to free support in some cases. Upgrading GP isn’t necessarily an immediate concern, although there are a lot of great new features that are only available in GP 2013 that you may want to consider.

[link to blogs that talk about new features]

Dynamics GP 2013 Support Lifecycle

The latest version of GP begins its official support lifecycle on 3/12/2013. Mainstream support ends on 4/10/2018, and extended support is available through 4/11/2023.

If you need to upgrade your Dynamics GP and are in Indiana or Wisconsin, we hope that you’ll consider partnering with iSolutions. We can analyze your GP implementation and insure that the upgrade happens properly with minimal impact to your business. We’ll also help you understand and make best use of new features. Contact us today to get a no-risk assessment of your implementation.